wch08ak.pgn

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik,V"]
[Black "Anand,V"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D14"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

{It wasn't a riveting start but you don't get many risks taken in game one
when the score is still level. Kramnik asked a question, Anand answered
confidently} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 {The Exchange Slav, the sure
way to play with zero losing chances so an ideal choice for game one} cxd5 5.
Bf4 Nc6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nf3 e6 {Black cannot continue symmetrically for too long
of course but this is the most solid choice} 8. Qb3 Bb4 9. Bb5 O-O {
Black breaks the symmetry but this is still the main line of chess opening
theory} 10. Bxc6 (10. O-O Bxc3 11. Bxc6 Bxb2 12. Bxb7 Bxa1 13. Rxa1 Rc8 14.
Bxc8 Qxc8 15. Qa3 Qb7 16. Rc1 Rc8 17. Rxc8+ Qxc8 18. Ne5 Nd7 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20.
Qa6 {and in Malakhov-Ivanchuk White calmly exploited his better placed queen
by playing Bf4-b8 x a7 and he won. This shows the pleasant edge White can
achieve sometimes in this line and Black has to struggle to equalise
completely}) 10... Bxc3+ 11. Qxc3 Rc8 {Here and on the next move Anand avoids
bxc6 when the pawn would be very weak. White can easily exert control over c5
and then lay siege to the pawn} (11... bxc6 12. Qxc6 Qa5+ 13. Qc3 Qxc3+ 14.
bxc3 Ne4) (11... bxc6 12. O-O Qb6 13. Rfc1 {and the c5 square is weak}) 12. Ne5
Ng4 (12... bxc6 {Leaves Black with a permanently weak pawn on an open file})
13. Nxg4 Bxg4 14. Qb4 (14. Qa3 Rxc6 15. Qxa7 Rc2 16. O-O Be2 17. Rfc1 Rxb2)
14... Rxc6 $1 {Avoiding the structural weakness referred to above even at
the cost of a pawn. If there is one man who can make your life miserable if
you have a bad pawn structure it is Kramnik} 15. Qxb7 Qc8 16. Qxc8 (16. Qb3 Qa6
{and Rfc8 and Rc2 is coming}) 16... Rfxc8 {Black has compensation for the
pawn. He controls the c file completely and has active rooks} 17. O-O a5 18. f3
Bf5 19. Rfe1 Bg6 20. b3 (20. Kf2 Rc2+ 21. Re2 Rxe2+ 22. Kxe2 Rc2+) 20... f6 21.
e4 {There is nothing else active White can undertake but now Anand gets some
real counterplay} dxe4 22. fxe4 Rd8 23. Rad1 Rc2 {White cannot stay a pawn
ahead and d4-d5 is well met by e6-e5. The next few move just force
simplification and a draw, a minor victory for Anand, he made light of the
attempted squeeze} 24. e5 (24. a4 {or Rc3} e5 25. dxe5 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 fxe5 27.
Bxe5 Bxe4) (24. d5 e5) 24... fxe5 (24... Rxa2 25. exf6 gxf6 26. Rxe6 Bc2 $11)
25. Bxe5 Rxa2 26. Ra1 Rxa1 27. Rxa1 Rd5 28. Rc1 Rd7 (28... Rb5 29. Rc7 Rxb3 30.
Rxg7+ Kf8 {is also harmless}) 29. Rc5 Ra7 30. Rc7 Rxc7 31. Bxc7 Bc2 32. Bxa5
Bxb3 {IM Malcolm Pein runs the London Chess Centre www.chess.co.uk/shop and
ChessBase USA www.chessbaseusa.com} 1/2-1/2

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anand,V"]
[Black "Kramnik,V"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E25"]
[WhiteElo "2783"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

1. d4 {A surprise but not a total surprise. Vishy has played 1.d4 with success
occasionally and of course he has a specific idea.} Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 {
The solid Nimzo-Indian. Kramnik avoids the sharp lines of Slav Defence in
which he recently lost to AlexanderMorozevich} 4. f3 {This super sharp line
appeared in the 1930s. In the Nimzo the battle for the e4 square is
fundamental in many lines. 4.f3 has been championed recently by the Russian
GMs Viktor Moskalenko and Yuri Yakovich. Now there is crazy stuff after this
sequence - 4...c5 5.d5 Nh5 idea Qh4+ 6.Nh3 and if Qh4+ 7.Nf2 Qxc4 8.e4. The
line was made famous after Florin Gheorghiu played a beautiful game against
Bobby Fischer at Havana 1966.} d5 {Of course Kramnik plays the solid answer} 5.
a3 {Reaching the Saemisch Variation} Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. dxc5 {
This is a highly analysed main line. White intends e2-e4 and in some lines he
hangs to the c5 pawn for a while to obstruct Black's possible play on the cfile
} f5 9. Qc2 Nd7 {
A cunning choice to avoid a prepared idea. Kramnik avoids the main lines with}
(9... O-O 10. e4) (9... f4 10. e4 fxe3 11. Bd3) 10. e4 fxe4 11. fxe4 N5f6 12.
c6 {As in game one Anand avoids pawn weaknesses. The c3 pawn might be targeted
if Black could organise Nd7xc5 and Qd8-c7} bxc6 13. Nf3 Qa5 14. Bd2 {14.Be2 was
possible. Had Vishy managed to place his bishops on c4 and e3 he may have had
an edge. Now it seems roughly level} (14. Be2 Nxe4 $2 15. Qxe4 Qxc3+ 16. Kf2
Qxa1 17. Qxe6+ Kf8 18. Bf4 Qxh1 19. Bd6 {Would be calamitous}) 14... Ba6 {
Kramnik wants to exchange one bishop because White's bishop pair can be strong}
15. c4 Qc5 16. Bd3 Ng4 {
Definitely the most aggressive move of the match so far !} 17. Bb4 Qe3+ 18. Qe2
O-O-O 19. Qxe3 Nxe3 20. Kf2 Ng4+ 21. Kg3 Ndf6 {Opening up the rook on d8 to
attack the bishop on d3. An active choice but is also risky and entails a pawn
sacrifice} 22. Bb1 h5 23. h3 h4+ 24. Nxh4 Ne5 25. Nf3 Nh5+ 26. Kf2 Nxf3 27.
Kxf3 e5 $1 {Kramnik has compensation for the sacrificed pawn based on the poor
bishop on b1, open files for his rooks and the agility of his knight in a
closed position} 28. Rc1 Nf4 29. Ra2 {Rd2 was a threat} Nd3 30. Rc3 Nf4 {
Offering a repetition} 31. Bc2 Ne6 {Kramnik's knight is a great piece. He
might play c6-c5 when Rf8+ is possible. Also there is the idea of Nd4+ and
takes on c2 when we get opposite coloured bishops which increase Black's
chances of a draw} 32. Kg3 Rd4 {Black intends to take on c4 and if 33.c5 then
both white bishops are hemmed in by pawns and Black has decent compensation. A
well played game by Kramnik who probably avoided some sharp preparation. Anand
did not look totally at home in the positions that arose and perhaps he might
have played on with 33.Rb2. Although he is losing the c4 pawn this inevitably
releases his light squared bishop. Notes by Malcolm Pein who runs 
www.chess4less.com and the London Chess Centre www.chess.co.uk 
Players who want to study this line can check out the book by Yuri Yakovich 
http://www.classicalgames.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=001129 } 
1/2-1/2

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kramnik,V"]
[Black "Anand,V"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D49"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

{The first decisive game of the match}
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 {Kramnik invites the
sharp Meran Variation which he has aso played himself with Black} dxc4 7. Bxc4
b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. exf6 gxf6 13. O-O Qb6 14.
Qe2 Bb7 {
A brilliant novelty. Previously Black defended the b5 pawn with Ba6 or b4} 15.
Bxb5 Bd6 {Intending Ke7 Rg8 and Ne5 with a winning attack} 16. Rd1 ({
It's already too late to play safe. If} 16. Bd3 Rg8 17. Be4 Nc5 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 {
d4-d3 looms large}) 16... Rg8 17. g3 {Obviously very risky but} (17. Bd3 Ne5
18. Be4 d3 $1) (17. Rxd4 Rxg2+ 18. Kxg2 Qxd4 {are both good for Black}) 17...
Rg4 18. Bf4 (18. Nd2 Ke7 $3 19. Bxd7 (19. Qxg4 Qxb5) 19... Rag8 $1 20. Bb5 d3
21. Qxd3 Rxg3+ 22. hxg3 Rxg3+ 23. Kf1 Rxd3 24. Bxd3 Qd4 {is unclear}) 18...
Bxf4 19. Nxd4 {
Kramnik commits to a piece sacrifice but perhaps 19.Rxd4 was better} (19. Rxd4
O-O-O (19... Bxf3 20. Qxf3 Qxd4 21. Rd1 $1) 20. Rad1 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Qxb5 22.
Qxg4 Bc7) 19... h5 $1 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxd7 Kf8 22. Qd3 Rg7 $1 23. Rxg7 Kxg7
24. gxf4 Rd8 25. Qe2 Kh6 $1 26. Kf1 (26. f5 Rg8+ 27. Kf1 Bg2+ 28. Ke1 Bc6 29.
Qd2+ Kh7 30. Bxc6 Qxc6 $1 31. Ke2 Qb5+ 32. Kf3 Rg4 {wins}) 26... Rg8 27. a4 $2
(27. Rc1 Bg2+ 28. Ke1 Bh3 29. f5 $1 Rg1+ 30. Kd2 Qd4+ 31. Bd3 Qxb2+ 32. Rc2 {
survives}) 27... Bg2+ 28. Ke1 Bh3 $1 29. Ra3 (29. Rd1 Bg4 30. Qe3 Qxe3+ 31.
fxe3 Bxd1 32. Kxd1 Rg2) 29... Rg1+ 30. Kd2 Qd4+ 31. Kc2 (31. Rd3 Qxb2+ 32. Ke3
Qa1 {wins, Re1 follows}) 31... Bg4 32. f3 Bf5+ 33. Bd3 $4 (33. Kb3 Rc1 34. a5
Bc2+ 35. Qxc2 $1 Rxc2 36. Kxc2 Qc5+ 37. Kb1 Qxb5 38. a6 {
saves the game but Black can also play}) (33. Kb3 Rc1 34. a5 Qd5+ 35. Bc4 Qb7+
36. Bb5 Rc5) 33... Bh3 $2 {Amazing, Vishy misses} (33... Bxd3+ 34. Rxd3 (34.
Qxd3 Rg2+) 34... Qc4+ 35. Kd2 Qc1) 34. a5 {Kramnik has one swindling idea left
} Rg2 35. a6 Rxe2+ 36. Bxe2 Bf5+ 37. Kb3 Qe3+ 38. Ka2 Qxe2 39. a7 Qc4+ 40. Ka1
Qf1+ 41. Ka2 Bb1+ (41... Bb1+ 42. Kb3 Qxf3+ 43. Kb4 Qxf4+ 44. Kc3 Be4) 0-1

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.18"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Anand,V"]
[Black "Kramnik,V"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E25"]
[WhiteElo "2783"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 {Forgive me but today I was watching this game on 3G from Anfield,
the home of Liverpool Football Club and seeing Liverpool come back from 1-2
down to beat Wigan 3-2 was distracting and joyful in equal measure. If Kramnik
was planning to come back from 1-2 down tday then 7.a3 sent a message that a
wild fight was not on the agenda. I found it hard to know what to take from
this game. Was Anand just being too cautious? or did Kramnik just demonstrate
how to hold a slightly inferior position without breaking sweat?} 2. c4 e6 3.
Nf3 {3.Nc3 Bb4 was Game 2 but Vishy also shows he is happy to play against the
Queen's Indian 3...b6} d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 {Anand prefers Bf4 to the more
common Bg5 - this can lead to sharp positions where White castles queenside}
O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 (6... c5 7. dxc5 Nc6 8. Qc2 Bxc5 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O {
is the sharp stuff}) 7. a3 c5 {The standard response in the centre now White
can force Black to accept an isolated queen's pawn} 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5
10. dxc5 Nxc5 {Anand's wants a position where he can play with a tiny edge and
try to exert psychological pressure. Kramnik avoids this skilfully} 11. Be5 {
White emphasises his control of the square in front of the isolated pawn. This
is essential, the pawn must be blocked before it can beattacked} Bf5 (11... Bf6
{is standard but again, Kramnik may be motivated by a desire to avoid any
preparation} 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qd4 Qxd4 14. Nxd4 Bd7 {and Black continued with
Ne6 and equalised quickly in Kasparov v Kramnik Blitz 2001 draw in 24.}) 12.
Be2 Bf6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Nd4 (14. Qd4 Qxd4 (14... Qc6 15. Rc1 $2 Nd3+) 15.
Nxd4 Bd7 {would be a tempo up on the line above but Black could play Qc6 when
he menaces Nb3}) 14... Ne6 {Black fights for the d4 square} 15. Nxf5 (15. Nxe6
fxe6 {is good for Black}) 15... Qxf5 16. O-O Rfd8 {Black is more active and
this compensates for the weak d5 pawn. If he plays d5-d4 he will be fine} 17.
Bg4 Qe5 18. Qb3 Nc5 19. Qb5 b6 20. Rfd1 Rd6 ({Solidly played, not} 20... d4
21. b4 $1) 21. Rd4 a6 22. Qb4 h5 {If the side with the isolani can advance it
he is usually fine. This is not a rash attacking move, it's positionally
motivated. Once the white bishop has been driven away from the h3-c8 diagonal
Black can play Ne6 controlling the d4 square and then d5-d4 solves his
problems as we will see.} 23. Bh3 Rad8 24. g3 g5 $1 {
Kramnik plays to evict the bishop as mentioned above.} (24... Ne6 25. Bxe6
fxe6 {And Black's slighly loose position may give Anand faint hopes. Kramnik
had a think hereabouts and concluded he can expand safely}) 25. Rad1 g4 26. Bg2
Ne6 27. R4d3 d4 {Thematic, every Black piece is focused on d4} 28. exd4 Rxd4
29. Rxd4 Rxd4 {Malcolm Pein runs ChessBaseUSA Chessbaseusa.com, the
London Chess Center www.chess.co.uk/shop and is Executive Editor of CHESS
magazine www.chess.co.uk/mag.html Occasionally he sneaks off to watch a
game of football.} (29... Rxd4 30. Rxd4 Nxd4 {and Black's centralised queen
and knight ensure he cannot come to any harm. For example} 31. Qxb6 Qe1+ 32.
Bf1 Nf3+ 33. Kg2 Qe4 {forces perpetual}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kramnik,V"]
[Black "Anand,V"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D49"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

{ChessCube: For those of you who would like to discuss the game - you can go
to www.ChessCube.com/play and enter the WCC chat room. Once there, if you have
questions, please click on the "?" symbol above the board. Mark Levitt:
Welcome to Game 5 of the Kramnik vs. Anand match. Anand leads 2.5-1.5. IM
Malcolm Pein is in Bonn, Germany and will make ringside comment from
time-to-time.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 {IM Malcolm Pein: Once
again the Slav. IM Malcolm Pein: Anand arrives first. Kramnik offers the
Meran again.} e6 5. e3 Nbd7 {IM Malcolm Pein: Post game analysis suggested
that Kramnik was better, so he offers a repeat - who will blink first?} 6. Bd3
dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. exf6 gxf6 13.
O-O $2 Qb6 14. Qe2 Bb7 15. Bxb5 Rg8 {Mark Levitt: The players are moving at a
rapid pace. Obviously a lot of home analysis has bolstered both sides
confidence!} 16. Bf4 {IM Malcolm Pein: Played with a flourish - and Kramnik
heads off to the private room.} Bd6 {IM Malcolm Pein: Good afternoon all. I
have made it from Liverpool to Bonn, so greetings from the VIP room. Kramnik
bashed out 16.Bf4 and then dispensed with his jacket!} 17. Bg3 {
IM Malcolm Pein: This is a solid move. Now Black can exchange.} (17. Bg3 Ke7
18. Nxd4 Ne5 (18... Qxd4 19. Rfd1) 19. Rfd1 {Fritz 11: +/= (0.56)}) 17... f5 {
IM Malcolm Pein: Seeking to bludgeon open the g-file with ...f4 Fritz 11:
revised: =/+ (-0.60) Mark Levitt: Fritz 11 incorrect position. Disregard. 
Mark Levitt: Announcement: If you refresh your browser now we have a new
version that allows you to play your own moves on the screen while spectating.
Work it out foryourself!} (17... Bxg3 18. hxg3 {
IM Malcolm Pein: leaves the g-file forever blocked.}) 18. Rfc1 (18. Rfc1 f4 19.
Bh4 {Fritz 11: = (0.07) Mark Levitt: revised: =/+ (-0.60)}) (18. Ne5 {
Fritz 11: has been sugested by some viewers, but then} Bxe5 19. Qxe5 {
Fritz 11: =/+ (-0.30)}) 18... f4 19. Bh4 {Mark Levitt: Announcement: If you
refresh your browser now we have a new version that allows you to play your
own moves on the screen while spectating. Work it out for yourself!} Be7 (19...
Be7 20. a4 Qd6 21. Ra3 Rd8 22. Bxe7 Kxe7 {Fritz 11: =}) 20. a4 {Mark Levitt:
This move protects the b5-bishop and intends 21.Ra3 to defend the f3-knight. 
Mark Levitt: Or rather Ra3 at the right time! Mark Levitt: Once the
dark-squared bishops are exchanged, the a3-square becomes available.} Bxh4 21.
Nxh4 Ke7 {IM Malcolm Pein: Black has a threat here. White cannot ignore it.
Qh5 seems best but if b4 then look what happens} 22. Ra3 {
IM Malcolm Pein: Now Rg5 suggests itself to stop Qh5 and prepare Rag8} (22. Qh5
Qd6 23. Bxd7 Qxd7) (22. Kf1 Rg5 23. Nf3 Rd5 24. Rd1 Nf6) (22. b4 Rg3 (22...
Rxg2+ 23. Nxg2 Rg8 24. f3 d3+ 25. Qf2 Bxf3 26. Qxb6 Rxg2+ 27. Kf1 Nxb6 {
IM Malcolm Pein: with nasty threats of Nb6-d5-e3 or Rxh2} (27... Bc6 28. Bxc6 {
Rxc6} () {Nd5} 28... Rxh2 29. Kg1 Rc2 {Rxb6 d2} (29... Rc2 {dxc2})))) 22...
Rac8 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Ra1 Qc5 (24... Rc5 25. Rd1) 25. Qg4 Qe5 (25... Qe5 26.
Nf3 Bxf3 27. Qxf3 Rc2 28. Rd1 Nc5 29. b4 Ne4 30. Bd3 Ng5 31. Qb7+ Rc7 32. Qb8
h6 {Fritz 11: = (0.00)}) 26. Nf3 Qf6 27. Re1 (27. Nxd4 Qxd4 28. Rd1 Nf6 29.
Rxd4 Nxg4 30. Rd7+ Kf6 31. Rxb7 Rc2 32. b4 Nxf2 33. a5 Ne4 34. a6 {
Fritz 11: (0.83)}) (27. Bxd7 Kxd7 28. Nxd4 Ke7 {
IM Malcolm Pein: and Black has compensation.}) 27... Rc5 (27... Nf8 {
IM Malcolm Pein: was given by Yusupov in the commentary room}) 28. b4 Rc3 29.
Nxd4 {Fritz 11: not good according to Fritz} Qxd4 (29... Qxd4 30. Rd1 Nf6 31.
Rxd4 Nxg4 32. Rd7+ Kf6 33. h3 Rc1+ 34. Bf1 Bc8 {Fritz 11: (-1.78)}) 30. Rd1 Nf6
31. Rxd4 Nxg4 32. Rd7+ Kf6 {Mark Levitt: If Fritz is correct, then Kramnik
must be in big trouble with only 13 minutes remaining .} 33. Rxb7 Rc1+ 34. Bf1
Ne3 {Mark Levitt: Wow!!} 35. fxe3 fxe3 {There is no way out for Kramnik} 0-1

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.21"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Anand,V"]
[Black "Kramnik,V"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E25"]
[WhiteElo "2783"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 {Anand played the sharp 4.f3 in game 2
This is a much more positional move. White avoids damage to his pawn structure
if Black plays Bxc3+. and plays for the small advantage of the two bishops} d5
5. cxd5 Qxd5 {The most solid response developed by Oleg Romanishin. Black
seeks a queen exchange via Qf5 or Qe4} (5... exd5 6. Bg5 c5 {is the sharpest
way to play and had led to many quick Black wins. Sokolov-Aronian Turin Ol
2006 and recently Ushenina-Kosteniuk WWCC 208 come to mind.}) 6. Nf3 Qf5 7. Qb3
{But Anand wants to keep it complex} Nc6 8. Bd2 O-O 9. h3 {New! Previously 9.
e3 was standard. This gives Vlad a lot to worry about. The g4 thrust might be
a prelude to an attack or it might leave the queen short of squares} b6 10. g4
Qa5 11. Rc1 Bb7 12. a3 Bxc3 13. Bxc3 Qd5 14. Qxd5 {Anatoly Karpov was in the
VIP Room and now rejected exd5 as the bishop on b7 is locked in} Nxd5 15. Bd2 {
White has two bishops and c file so he is slightly better but queenless
mddlegames are Kramnik territory aren'tthey?} Nf6 16. Rg1 {
Nxd4 was a threat and e2-e4 is prevented for the moment} ({Karpov liked} 16. g5
Ne4 17. Bf4 $14) 16... Rac8 17. Bg2 Ne7 18. Bb4 {Preventing c5 or so it seems.
It was at this point I realised belatedly that the rook on g1 was coming out
via g3 after bishops are exchanged which means the white king is also very
well placed.} c5 $6 ({
This does not work out. Karpov frowned. One possible line was} 18... Rfe8 19.
Bxe7 Rxe7 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Rxg2 c5 22. dxc5 Rxc5 23. Rxc5 bxc5 24. Rg3 {+=})
19. dxc5 Rfd8 20. Ne5 Bxg2 21. Rxg2 bxc5 ({Staying a pawn down. Kramnik said
he thought the ending was equal at first but then realised he had some
problems. However the cure is worse than the disease as he nevers recovers the
pawn, he must have missed a tactical point} 21... Nc6 22. Nd3 $1 {
and White must avoid} Nd4 23. cxb6 $4 Rxc1+ 24. Nxc1 Nc2+ 25. Kf1 Rd1+) ({but} 
21... Nc6 22. Nd3 $1 Nd4 23. e3 $1 Nb3 24. Rc3 $16) (21... a5 22. Bd2 Ne4 23.
cxb6 Rxd2 24. Rxc8+ Nxc8 25. b7 Rc2 $1 26. Kd1 $1 {wins}) 22. Rxc5 Ne4 {
It's just a solid pawn up for White} 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Nd3 Nd5 25. Bd2 Rc2
26. Bc1 f5 27. Kd1 Rc8 28. f3 Nd6 29. Ke1 {Karpov advocated Rg1 as a better
way to avoid any knight forks but this is also good. Vishy takes it nice and
slowly} a5 30. e3 e5 {With Kd1 and Rc2 coming Kramnik seeks activity but with
less time on the clock to calculate this also backfires} 31. gxf5 e4 32. fxe4
Nxe4 33. Bd2 a4 (33... Rc2 34. Kd1 $4 Nxe3+) ({but} 33... Rc2 34. Re2 Nxd2 35.
Kd1 Nxe3+ 36. Rxe3 Nc4 37. Kxc2 Nxe3+ 38. Kb3 Nxf5 39. Ka4 {is easy}) (33...
Re8 {was better}) 34. Nf2 $1 {
The computer assessment jumped as Anand stays two pawns up} Nd6 35. Rg4 Nc4
36. e4 Nf6 37. Rg3 Nxb2 38. e5 $1 (38. Bc3 Nh5) 38... Nd5 39. f6 Kf7 40.
Ne4 Nc4 41. fxg7 {An echo of game 3 where Anand also missed a quicker win.} (
41. Rxg7+ Ke6 42. Ng5+ Kxe5 43. f7 Nxd2 44. Rg8 $18) 41... Kg8 42. Rd3 {
There was a diabolical line} (42. Nf6+ Nxf6 43. exf6 Re8+ 44. Kd1 Rd8 45. Kc1
Nxd2 46. f7+ Kxf7 47. g8=Q+ Rxg8 48. Rxg8 Nb3+ $1 {Spotted by David Norwood})
42... Ndb6 43. Bh6 Nxe5 44. Nf6+ Kf7 45. Rc3 {A crowd pleaser} Rxc3 46. g8=Q+
Kxf6 47. Bg7+ 1-0

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.23"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand,V"]
[Black "Kramnik,V"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E25"]
[WhiteElo "2783"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 {A solid Slav line} 5. a4 Bf5 (5...
Bg4) (5... Na6 {are riskier}) 6. e3 (6. Ne5 e6 7. f3 Bb4 8. e4 Bxe4 9. fxe4
Nxe4 10. Bd2 Qxd4 11. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 12. Qe2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Qd5+ 14. Kc2 {
Is a line Kramnik used to play with White but definitely not suited to the
match situation}) 6... e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Qe2 Bg6 10. e4 {
Vishy offers a pawn but Vlad keeps it solid} O-O (10... Bxc3 11. bxc3 Nxe4 12.
Ba3 Qc7 {is risky as Black has to go to the queenside with his king when White
has an open b file, two bishops and a4-a5 with attacking chances}) 11. Bd3 Bh5
12. e5 Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. Qe3 {This was played by Topalov twice against
Kramnik in Toiletgate 2006 at Elista. He scored half a point but one defeat
was a tragedy for him after he built up a winning attack} Re8 (14... Re8 15.
Ne1 Rc8 16. f4 Bxe1 17. Rxe1 Bg6 18. Bf1 Rc2 $11 {
1st Rapid Play off game Elista 2006}) (14... Bg6 15. Ng5 Re8 16. f4 Bxd3 17.
Qxd3 f5 18. Be3 Nf8 19. Kh1 Rc8 20. g4 $1 {game 2 Elista 2006}) 15. Ne1 Bg6 16.
Bxg6 hxg6 17. Nd3 Qb6 18. Nxb4 Qxb4 19. b3 {Vishy plays for two results, win
and draw. At first sight many players would say White's bishop is bad but 
White has extra space and so his bishop has plenty of squares. Black's knight
is not on a great circuit. It would be better on c6 and so if anything White
has a tiny edge} Rac8 20. Ba3 Qc3 21. Rac1 Qxe3 22. fxe3 f6 23. Bd6 {
From here Vishy plays to bottle up the black knight and he succeeds. For Vlad
it create any complexity at all in a game he needs to win then he must avoid
an exchange of bishop for knight but if he plays Nb6 then Bc5 is annoying} g5
{
Now Black has a pathway to activate his king but this won't disturb the balance
} 24. h3 Kf7 25. Kf2 Kg6 26. Ke2 fxe5 27. dxe5 {Black has weakened his
kingside and must be a little careful. He can't contest the f file and
Ke2-d3-d4 followed by e3-e4 is one possibility} b6 {Preparing Nc5} (27... Rc6
28. Rxc6 bxc6 29. Rc1 Rc8 30. a5 Kf5 $6 (30... a6 31. b4 {Black is very
passive. The knight is terrible and White can prepare e3-e4 while the bishop
covers b8 and f8}) 31. g4+ Ke4 32. Rd1 {threatens mate} c5 33. b4 Nxe5 34. Bxc5
$14) ({The knight cannot be rerouted} 27... Nb8 28. Bxb8 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Rxb8 30.
Rc7 {is just good for White}) 28. b4 Rc4 {Risky, Black would be better if he
could double rooks but there is no chance of that. This is damage limitation,
something Kramnik does very well.} 29. Rxc4 dxc4 {Now Rc1 and e3-e4 will
keep the black king out and White can pick up the c pawn at leisure. Black
would like a7-a6 and b6-b5 but White can always play b5 himself.} 30. Rc1 Rc8
31. g4 {This move prevents any chances Black may have had on the kingside with
g5-g4. However Jon Speelman, who just popped into the London Chess Centre
during the game thought that in a position without rooks White might have used
the g4 square for his king. Now the big question is can Black give up the c
pawn and draw the bishop v knight endgame} a5 32. b5 c3 33. Rc2 ({
There are interesting lines after} 33. Kd3 c2 $2 34. Rxc2 Rxc2 35. Kxc2 {
Black's knight has no moves. White would like to set up a zugzwang with King
on d4, pawn on e4 and bishop on e3. I thought this could not be organised
without allowing Nc5 but I wonder if that matters.} Kh6 36. Kd3 Kg6 37. Kd4
Kh6 38. Ba3 Kg6 39. e4 Kh6 40. Bc1 {Threat h4} Kg6 41. Be3 Nc5 (41... Nf8
42. Kd3 Nd7 43. Kc3 $18) 42. Kc4 Nxa4 43. Kb3 {wins. However Black plays 33.
Kd3 Nc5+ as in the game and draws. Health warning ! please ignore your
computers, they are counting beans, not blockades which some of them don't
really get.}) 33... Kf7 34. Kd3 Nc5+ 35. Bxc5 (35. Kxc3 Nxa4+ 36. Kb3 Rxc2 37.
Kxc2 Ke8 38. Kb3 Nc5+ $11 {Speelman}) 35... Rxc5 36. Rxc3 Rxc3+ {Anand didn't 
seem to recapture the rook with his king on the video footage before the
draw was agreed} 1/2-1/2

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.24"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kramnik,V"]
[Black "Anand,V"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D39"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 {It was clear that Vishy would switch. Playing the same
wild line twice was brilliant but a third time would be irresponsible given
the match position. I thought we might see something solid} 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3
dxc4 {Not very solid. I should have known better} 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 c5 {
It's the super sharp Vienna Variation. No margin for error here, one false
move and it's 'goodnightVienna'} 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Qa5 {Anand's match
strategy seems to be to head for tactical positions where possible.} 9. Bb5+
Bd7 10. Bxf6 Bxb5 {Astonishing, this is a novelty and so early in a sharp line.
Kramnik outprepared again} 11. Ndxb5 {11.Nb3 looks sharper but of course
Kramnik knows Anand has looked at it in detail} (11. Nb3 Qb6 12. Bxg7 Rg8 13.
Bd4 Bxc3+ 14. Bxc3 Rxg2 $13) 11... gxf6 12. O-O Nc6 (12... Bxc3 13. Nxc3 Rg8
14. Qb3 Qg5 15. g3 $16) 13. a3 (13. Nd6+ Ke7 $1 14. Nxb7 Qc7 {traps the knight}
15. Qb3 Rab8) 13... Bxc3 14. Nxc3 Rg8 {Very reminiscent of the Meran games
numbers three and five with the pawn structure f7 f6 e6 and no castling. Or at
least not the conventional way} 15. f4 {An aggressive move, White takes away
the e5 square from Black's knight and considers f4-f5} Rd8 16. Qe1 {Heading for
h4 to attack and just shadowing the enemy king. Black is weakened but active.}
Qb6+ 17. Rf2 (17. Kh1 Qxb2 18. Rb1 $4 Qxg2) 17... Rd3 {
A risky thrust into the enemy position that threatens Rf3} 18. Qe2 Qd4 19. Re1
a6 $5 {Preventing Nb5 but asking for Nd5, no demanding it !} ({but} 19... a6
20. Nd5 exd5 21. exd5+ Kf8 22. dxc6 bxc6 {is not too much and}) (19... a6 20.
Nd5 exd5 21. exd5+ Kd7 22. dxc6+ Kxc6 {
running to a7 is really not much for White}) 20. Kh1 Kf8 21. Ref1 Rg6 {
A great move covering f6. Kramnik was building up for f5 but this neutralises
it.Black is very well centralised apart from this rook which Kramnik tries to
cut out of thegame} 22. g3 {
Trying to prepare f4-f5 and emphasising the isolation of the rook on g6} (22.
f5 exf5 23. Rxf5 Rd2 24. Qf3 Ne5 $19) 22... Kg7 23. Rd1 {Hoping to leave Black
with a poorly placed rook but the loss of time allows Anand to solve all his
problems} ({However} 23. f5 exf5 24. exf5 Rg4 25. Rf4 Rxf4 26. Rxf4 Qe3 $11)
23... Rxd1+ 24. Nxd1 Kh8 25. Nc3 Rg8 {Simple stuff, Anand uses Kramnik's loss
of time to reorganise and castle by hand. This looks very level now} 26. Kg2
Rd8 $11 27. Qh5 Kg7 28. Qg4+ Kh8 29. Qh5 Kg7 30. Qg4+ Kh8 31. Qh4 Kg7 32. e5 (
32. e5 {Attempting to mix it up} fxe5 33. Qg5+ Kh8 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35. fxe5 Rd7
36. Rf4 Qxe5 37. Ne4 {but I don't see anything decisive here}) 32... f5 {
Anand avoids complications where possible} ({There was no point going into} 
32... fxe5 33. Qg5+ Kh8 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35. fxe5 Rd7 36. Rf4 Qxe5 37. Ne4) 33.
Qf6+ Kg8 34. Qg5+ Kh8 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Re2 {g2-g4 is impractical so White can
achieve nothing here, another success for Anand} Qc4 37. Qg5+ Kh8 38. Qf6+ Kg8
39. Qg5+ Kh8 {5.5-2.5 Vishy is one win away from match victory.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.26"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Anand,V"]
[Black "Kramnik,V"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

{2.5-5.5 down Vlad had to play for a win with black, or win 'away from home'.
The last time he managed that was 2006 when Veselin Topalov missed a mate
before losing. However, I was following the chess from Stamford Bridge the
home of Chelski Football Club (the home of no European Cups) and by the time
Anand had played 1.d4 Alonso had already put the mighty Liverpool FC 0-1 ahead
and Chelsea, who had not lost at home for 4.5 years were on their way to
defeat (hurrah). So one record was about to be broken perhaps another would go.
} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 {Surprising as} (6.
Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 {Is the solid Moscow variation and more suited to the match
situation. However Anand's strategy has been to play for complications most of
the time.}) 6... dxc4 {Kramnik has to accept the challenge and he enters the
sharp Anti Moscow Gambit. He must have been delighted to get such an
unbalanced position} 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. Qc2 (10. h4 {
is more cutting edge}) 10... Nbd7 11. Rd1 Bb4 12. Ne5 Qe7 $146 {Kramnik finally
gets to play a strong novelty. 12...Rg8 and 12...Nxe5 have been played before.
} (12... c5 {Is the move Black wants to play in general terms but after} 13.
O-O Bxc3 14. Qxc3 Nxe4 15. Qe3 {his position is very ropey and if} Nxg3 16.
fxg3 $1) 13. O-O ({Now the typical thrust} 13. h4 {is a waste of time after}
O-O-O) 13... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 O-O 15. Bxf6 ({
Anand concedes the dark squares and now he cannot be better but if} 15. f4 Nd7
$1 {Threatening f6 gives Black a big advantage}) 15... Qxf6 16. f4 Qg7 17. e5 {
Anand intends Nc3-e4, fxg5 and Rf3. Kramnik had a long think and correctly
decides to sacrifice a couple of pawn to open up the game for his bishops.
This is necessary in general terms and the time is clearly right} c5 $1 ({If} 
17... Bxc3 18. bxc3 {strengthens whites centre.}) ({and} 17... f5 18. exf6 Rxf6
19. fxg5 Qxg5 20. Rxf6 Qxf6 21. Ne4 {gives White sufficient play for the pawn})
18. Nxb5 cxd4 19. Qxc4 a5 $1 20. Kh1 (20. Nxd4 gxf4 {Threatening mate on g2}
21. Nf3 Rac8 22. Qxf4 Rc2 23. Rf2 Rxb2 {Is very good for Black}) 20... Rac8 21.
Qxd4 gxf4 (21... Bc5 22. Qd2 gxf4 23. Bf3 Be3 $17 {Looks even better}) 22.
Bf3 Ba6 23. a4 $6 (23. Qb6 Bxb5 24. Qxb5 Rc5 25. Qa4 Rxe5 26. a3 Be7 27.
Qxf4 $11) 23... Rc5 24. Qxf4 Rxe5 25. b3 {Anand has decided to give up a pawn
to head for a position with opposite coloured bishops which have a drawing
tendency} (25. Be4 Bxb5 26. axb5 Rxb5 27. Rd7 {Also looks well playable}) 25...
Bxb5 26. axb5 Rxb5 27. Be4 Bc3 28. Bc2 {
19 minutes left each. Kramnik is a clear pawn up but it's not easy} Be5 29.
Qf2 Bb8 30. Qf3 Rc5 31. Bd3 Rc3 32. g3 Kh8 (32... Rxb3 33. Bh7+) 33. Qb7 f5 34.
Qb6 Qe5 35. Qb7 ({Anand missed} 35. Bxf5 $1 Rxf5 36. Rxf5 exf5 37. Qxh6+
Kg8 38. Qg5+ Qg7 39. Rd8+ {wins}) (35. Bxf5 $1 exf5 36. Rfe1 Qg7 37. Re6 Bc7
38. Rxh6+ Kg8 39. Qe6+ Qf7 40. Rg6+ Kh8 41. Rh6+ $11) 35... Qc7 $6 (35... Bc7 {
has a trick} 36. Bc4 Rxg3 $1 37. hxg3 Qxg3 38. Qg2 Qh4+ 39. Kg1 Bb6+ 40. Rf2
Rg8 $19) (35... Bc7 36. Qb5 {may hold} Qxb5 37. Bxb5 Rxb3 38. Bc4 {
wins back a pawn because} Rb6 39. Rd7 Bb8 40. Re7 e5 41. Rd1 {
gives White too much play}) ({But Black can refine this idea with} 35... Rg8 $1
{Just ramping up the pressure and Anand would be suffering. I can't see a good
move for White after this. Kramnik can calmly consolidate with Bc7 then there
are threats to b3 and pressure against the kingside} 36. Qb5 Qe3 37. Qd7 Bxg3
$1 $19) (35... Rg8 36. Qf3 Rd8 $17) 36. Qxc7 Bxc7 37. Bc4 Re8 (37... a4 38. Rd7
axb3 39. Bxb3 Rxb3 40. Rxc7 {holds comfortably for example} Kg8 41. Re1 Rf6 42.
Re7 Rb6 43. Kg2 Kf8 44. Rh7) 38. Rd7 $1 {Perhaps the ramifications of this
were overlooked by Kramnik who appeared shattered after this} a4 {
Tricky but only good for what is most likely a draw 3 v 2 R+P endgame} (38...
Bb8 39. Rfd1 a4 $2 40. Rd8 {wins}) 39. Rxc7 axb3 40. Rf2 Rb8 41. Rb2 h5 (41...
Rc2 42. Rxc2 bxc2 43. Bxe6 $1 ({Not} 43. Bf1 Rb2 $1) 43... Rb1+ 44. Kg2
c1=Q 45. Rxc1 Rxc1 46. Bxf5 {should be drawn}) 42. Kg2 h4 43. Rc6 {
Threatening to unpin with Bd5, this is good enough to draw} hxg3 44. hxg3 Rg8
45. Rxe6 Rxc4 {Malcolm Pein is the Executive Editor of CHESS Monthly
magazine www.chess.co.uk/mag.html and runs the London Chess Centre 
www.chess.co.uk and ChessBaseUSA www.chessbaseusa.com} 1/2-1/2

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.27"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kramnik,V"]
[Black "Anand,V"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E20"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

{An astonishing game. Kramnik just got his kind of position with a tiny edge
and a clear plan. Patient defence has never been Anand's forte. Kramnik
appears to do very little but he does it very well. As he said afterwards:
"I didn't have to do anything and the position was winning" I am reminded
of these lines from Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe. When Wellington
thrashed Bonaparte, As every child can tell, The House of Peers, throughout
the war, Did nothing in particular, And did it very well:} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 {
Garry must be smiling. In extremis Kramnik plays the Kasparov Variation.}
cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O (6... Ne4 7. Qd3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Nc5 {is another way to play.
White's pawns are ghastly but his bishops become powerful and Black has to
watch his d6 square}) 7. Bg2 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Qb3 Qa5 {
This is a long forcing variation in which the theory goes a long way} 10. Bd2
Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. O-O Bxc3 (12... Rb8 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. a3 $1 Bxd2 15. Qxb8
) (12... Nxc3 13. Bxc3 Bxc3 14. Qxc3 Qxc3 15. bxc3 $14 {
and White's bishop is powerful}) (12... Ba6 13. Nxd5 Bxd2 14. Ne7+ Kh8 15. Nxc6
) 13. bxc3 Ba6 14. Rfd1 {Threatening c3-c4} Qc5 (14... Bxe2 15. c4 {
Has been shown to be better for White}) 15. e4 Bc4 16. Qa4 Nb6 17. Qb4 Qh5 {
This is best play and now Anand follows a game he played against Kasparov in
2000} (17... Qxb4 18. cxb4 Rfd8 19. Be3 {
Gives White a clear edge as his bishops are strong and the c6 pawn weak}) 18.
Re1 {A new move with some subtle points} (18. Be3 Be2 19. Rd2 Rab8 20. Bxb6
axb6 21. Qd6 Bf3 {was Kasparov - Anand Wijk aan Zee where Black was in
difficulties but drew in the end . 18...Rfc8 was played subsequently by Short
and Leko and Black was OK}) (18. Bf4 c5 19. Qb2 Be2 $11 {
Bacrot-Carlsen Biel 2008}) 18... c5 (18... Be2 19. h3 $5 {Threat g4} c5 20. Qb3
Bc4 21. Qa3 $14) 19. Qa5 Rfc8 20. Be3 Be2 {Black's bishop needs rerouting} 21.
Bf4 {Intriguing, Kramnik wastes a move to ensure Black's queen is cut off from
the action.} e5 (21... Bf3 22. Qa6 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 e5 24. Be3 f5 {
was a chance for counterplay but after} 25. exf5 Qxf5 26. Rad1 {
White must have an edge}) 22. Be3 {There is no immediate threat to the c5 pawn
for tactical reasons but Kramnik is improving his pieces bit by bit} (22. Bxe5
Nc4 23. Qa6 Qxe5 24. Rxe2 Qxc3 25. Rd1 Rd8 $11) 22... Bg4 ({
Presumably Anand underestimated White's next because he deliberately avoided} 
22... Nc4 23. Qa6 Nxe3 24. Rxe2 Nxg2 25. Kxg2 {I am slightly worse - Anand})
23. Qa6 $1 {A lovely 'creeping move' it carries no specific tactical threat
but observes the key squares a7,b7,b6 and c4.} (23. Bxc5 Nc4 24. Qb5 Nd2 {
with threats to the king via Nf3+}) 23... f6 $6 ({Better} 23... Be6 24. Bf1 Bh3
25. Bxh3 Qxh3 26. a4 $14) 24. a4 $1 {Black's knight has no stability and when
the b file opens his a pawn will be vulnerable and this will prevent him
contesting it.} Qf7 25. Bf1 $3 {Kramnik takes control of c4 with some crisp
tactics. Anand's play has been refuted} Be6 26. Rab1 $1 c4 $2 {Anand is bei
ng outplayed and the tension of the match induces a blunder. The fact that
four other lines all lose can't have helped. Lovely play by Kramnik,} (26...
Bc4 27. Bxc4 Qxc4 28. Rxb6 $1) (26... Bc4 27. Bxc4 Nxc4 28. Rb7 {wins}) (
26... f5 27. a5 f4 28. Bxf4 exf4 29. axb6 {wins a pawn}) 27. a5 {
Black is already lost} Na4 (27... Nd7 28. Rb7 $18) 28. Rb7 Qe8 29. Qd6 $1 {
Re7 and Qb7 they cannot both be prevented. The a7 pawn falls and Black is lost
} (29. Qd6 Bf7 30. Qb4 {
with the simple plan of a6 and taking on a7 with total control}) (29. Qd6 Rd8
30. Qb4 Rab8 31. a6 {when Black can hardly move and a7 falls}) 1-0

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Bonn GER"]
[Date "2008.10.29"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Anand,V"]
[Black "Kramnik,V"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B96"]
[Annotator "IM Malcolm Pein"]
[EventDate "2008.10.14"]

{Vlad promised to keep fighting to the end and he made good on tha in game 10
with a stunning win but long experience tells us that having to win with black
to stay in a match is a feat rarely managed.} 1. e4 {A change from the 1.d4 we
saw in games 1 3 5 7 9. Anand invites Kramnik to play his favourite Petroff
Defence which can be very drawish, particularly if White wants it to be. The
Petroff is one of the reasons Kramnik has not won with black for 2 years} c5 {
Given the match situation this is the best option nd was widely anticipated.
Kramnik has to head for an unbalanced position.} 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4
Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 {A Najdorf ! Hardly a Kramnik speciality but needs must. Having
missed a win in game 9 and won game 10 at 4-6 down it's win or bust} 6. Bg5 {
Anand doesn't play this that often.} (6. Be3 {Is the main move nowadays but
ever since Radjabov and others including Anand have revitalised the Poisoned
Pawn for White it has increased the popularity of Bg5}) 6... e6 7. f4 {
7...Qb6 the Poisoned Pawn would not suit Kramnik now as it's Anand's territory
and White has many forced drawing lines.} Qc7 (7... Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3
10. e5 {is the focus of attention}) 8. Bxf6 gxf6 {In 1992 Anatoly Karpov
needed a win with Black against Nigel Short at their Candidates match at
Linares in 1992. Suffering in 1.e4 e5, Karpov played the Sicilian, allowed
Bxf6 gxf6 and Short gave him a good tonking. in a Richter Rauzer in which
Black castled kingside into the weakened pawns.} 9. f5 (9. Be2 Nc6 10. Nb3 Qb6
11. Qd2 h5) 9... Qc5 {This looks very odd as it contradicts the basic rules of
development but this move prevents both Qh5 and fxe6 and Qh5+} 10. Qd3 Nc6 11.
Nb3 {We are following Kavalek - Chandler Bundesliga 1982} Qe5 (11... Qb6 12.
O-O-O Bh6+ 13. Kb1 Bf4 {coming to e5 looks reasonable also}) 12. O-O-O exf5 {
Black does not usually do this. It might win a pawn but it ruins the pawn
structure and opens lines towards the king. The d5 square is screaming for
equine occupation. In fact Kramnk judged this well, Black is doing reasonably
well} (12... Bd7 13. g3 O-O-O 14. Kb1 {
1-0 Cullip,S (2320)-Le Quang,K (2250)/Oakham 1992/CBM 030 (69)}) 13. Qe3 $1 {
We can only admire Kramnik's bravado and he was making Anand think.} (13. Nd5
$5) 13... Bg7 {This looks grim but the bishop will emerge} 14. Rd5 Qe7 15. Qg3
Rg8 (15... O-O 16. exf5 $14) 16. Qf4 ({An implausible variation is} 16. Qf4 Be6
17. Rd1 fxe4 18. Nxe4 Bg4 19. Nxd6+ Kf8 20. Bc4 Bxd1 21. Rxd1 Ne5 22. Be2 Rd8
23. Nf5 Rxd1+ 24. Bxd1 Qc7 25. Qb4+ Ke8 26. Nd6+ Kf8 27. Nf5+ $11) (16. Qh4 $5)
16... fxe4 {
This surprised me I was expecting Kramnik to try and get the king to c8} 17.
Nxe4 f5 (17... Be6 18. Nxd6+ Kf8 19. Rd1 Bg4 20. Qxg4 $4 Bh6+ {
is a nice cheapo and this line seems to be sounder for Black than the game})
18. Nxd6+ Kf8 {
White's back rank is a little weak but now Anand has a simple path to advantage
} 19. Nxc8 Rxc8 20. Kb1 $1 {Anand felt he was out of danger here.} (20. Qd6 Nb4
21. Qxe7+ Kxe7 22. Rd2 Bh6 $19 {Illustrates why it's better to have the king
on b1. Now Qe1 can be met by Nc1 or Qc1}) 20... Qe1+ 21. Nc1 {Anand threatens
Qd6+ Ne7 Qd8+ and mate. Anand's bishop may look fearsome but it can be
neutralised by c2-c3 in most lines} Ne7 22. Qd2 $1 {
The practical choice forcing a queen exchange as Rd8+ is threatened} (22. Qd6
Qe6 23. Qd8+ Rxd8 24. Rxd8) 22... Qxd2 23. Rxd2 Bh6 24. Rf2 {Defending g2 so
that the bishop can come out. Black's weak f5 pawn makes this endgame
comfortably better for White. g3 and Bg2 is a threat. Anand is also helped by
the presence of opposite coloured bishops, if he doesn't win they make the
draw more likely} Be3 {and Kramnik offered a draw. After Rf3 he is worse and
has no winning prospects. In the end a very decent match indeed} (24... Be3 25.
Rf3 f4 26. g3 Ng6 27. Bh3 Rc7 28. Nd3 $16) 1/2-1/2